


Curiosity Chose the Cat

by gyulminky



Category: PRISTIN (Band)
Genre: F/F, Mystery, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-01
Updated: 2017-06-01
Packaged: 2018-11-07 15:08:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,710
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11061549
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gyulminky/pseuds/gyulminky
Summary: In a weird, eerie college town where nothing really is as it seems, Kang Yebin starts to discover the truth about one Kim Minkyung, and the people who surround her.





	Curiosity Chose the Cat

Kang Yebin never got used to the city. Somehow it always escapes her, how all the action is here, and how this is what she actually wanted. Well, if the extreme proximity to danger and the screech of sirens were part of it, then okay, maybe she would never get used to it at all. It’s 7 am anyway, and if the police cars didn’t arrive, she probably wouldn’t have woken up for her 8:30 class. Today was her first day of college after all, and in hindsight, she forgot to set the four alarm minimum. The wails of the sirens pierce her ears. What the hell is going on? Fumbling through the mess of her room, she peers out the window to see two cop cars by the house next door.

She gulps. It’s that house. Big, modern, stately, high walls ––– a house full of secrets. Ever since she moved to the city for high school, ever since her mom remarried a doctor, she hadn’t gotten used to living in such a nice neighborhood, and yet, the term “nice” could also be subjective. All these houses were beautiful and this part of town was always safe, but growing up in the burbs with a tight knit community got her used to knowing who her neighbors were and at the very least knowing about what went on within a 3 block radius. 

It’s been a few years, and she realizes that the more people have to show, the more they also have to hide. Her house, actually her stepfather’s house, believe it or not, is one of the smaller and mer modest ones amongst the mansions and big estates; it reminds her of Mediterranean architecture with its bright colors, stained glass windows, the texture of the walls, the washed out oranges ––– her mom fell in love with an laid-back anesthesiologist who offered her a constant vacation from real life, for better or for worse. It was a warm home, and they all got along, and she was free to have friends over whenever, and since high school, she’s always had Eunwoo and Kyulkyung over on Friday nights for binge marathons and to study.

Whenever she was alone though, as creepy as it sounds, she would take a moment to stare at one particular window peering into That House, just in case she was there. That House belonged to one Kim Minkyung. Whether she was the reason the cops were around, Yebin wasn’t sure, but she wouldn’t rule it out. She was the probably the kind of girl who actively sought out danger, always sneaking out through the back in the early morning, if not climbing up into that same window before the sun rose. There were whispers of her father being involved in shady money, and being that he probably didn’t know his daughter snuck out every other day, they probably didn’t have a relationship that involved telling each other the truth. She was his only child, therefore the heiress to his fortune, but Yebin remembers the days where she would catch Minkyung slyly biking away from the estate, away from the sleek bimmer her father bought her for getting into the student government –– specifically the incoming vice president of the whole student body. It was an easy win for someone so rich, intelligent, beautiful, elegant, and frustratingly mysterious. It was also her rebellious streak that made her ridiculously attractive, and what actually glued Yebin to the drama of That House.

7:15 ––– Yebin spent a quarter of an hour daydreaming about Minkyung. Time to shower.

As beads of water weave through her shoulder-length hair, Yebin still tries to wrap her head around the situation, lost in a state of wonder mixed with worry. Massaging her head with conditioner, she whistles and dances to funky nu disco beats per her morning routine, but can’t shake the feeling that something is incredibly wrong. She looks around her, turning her head to look out the small bathroom window, feeling eerily like she’s being watched. Toweling off, she quickly scans her wardrobe for a good first day outfit, something that isn’t too eagerly showy, but not too drab. She fixes her eyes on the hamper, where she threw last night’s outfit in a fit of restlessness, and as hard as she tries, the memory won’t blur.

\-----

Embarrassingly enough, she’s only met Kim Minkyung personally four times, not counting the waves, nods and the random times Minkyung would catch her staring from her window and smile back. The first encounter when she just moved in and Mrs. Kim dropped by to give them a welcoming gift basket, the first time she ever saw her in the flesh. She looked rigid and formal initially, surveying the inside of her cozy living room connected to the kitchen, until she smiled at the kitschy vacation photo fridge magnets after Yebin’s mom let them in to have tea. Yebin didn’t expect anyone to be there, so she had a giant Pusheen shirt on and flannel pjs with salsa stains. She watched from the top of the stairs as Minkyung picked up a framed photo of a nine year old Yebin with her childhood pet bunny, Judy. She froze instantly, seeing that Minkyung heard her footsteps and turned to face her and smile.

“Hi. I’m Kim Minkyung from next door. Your mom invited me in. She and my mom are currently having tea. Welcome to the neighborhood.”

Taken aback and thoroughly caught off guard, all Yebin could muster was a sweaty “Kang Yebin! Nicetomeetyou!”

They eventually both sat down next to their mothers by the dining table, where they would interject in the conversation only to agree with whatever their mothers said. It was awkward, Yebin, just having transferred high schools, didn’t know a lot of people, and Minkyung’s mother offered Minkyung’s help in easing her in, as she was a year ahead, about to graduate, and knew her way around high school. Yebin nervously refused, being caught in the situation of having to impose upon a stranger and not having showered that day. Both mothers were caught in small talk when Minkyung gestured to the backyard door. She grabbed Yebin’s arm to lead her out without a word, and eventually sat on a lawn chair, lit a cigarette, and held a finger up to her lips to keep Yebin quiet. She finally spoke as she exhaled, “I can actually show you around you know,” she winked, and Yebin’s heart dropped. “But none of the academic stuff.”

Yebin distinctly remembers this part, Minkyung and the scent of cherries and menthol cigarettes wafting in her direction. “Just let me know. This place is stranger than you think.”

“What does that mean?”

“It means,” she stopped to take a drag, “It may seem like your usual bougie neighborhood with old money kids, but if you know where to go you can cut the bullshit and have real fun.” Yebin remembers every single detail, even the green mint case Minkyung used to snuff the cig out, and the way she slid it into her designer bag. “Let me know if anyone gives you trouble, Kang Yebin. It was nice meeting you.” With that, she walked back into the dining room, before she and Mrs. Kim politely excused themselves to leave after the tea was done.

In the latter part of the year before Minkyung graduated, she would always wink at Yebin in the corridors while passing by. Yebin felt like she did that for kicks, but could never really respond in full, always frozen by it. She eventually met Eunwoo and Kyulkyung who were already inseparable, and eased into high school life just fine without any hijinks. They would then tell her they didn’t know much about Minkyung either, or what she meant by that.

The second time, Kang Yebin was preparing for college entrance exams. It was a natural choice for her and her friends to aim for the city university, being one of the top schools in the country. She would always run laps around the neighborhood, frequently passing their street (just in case), and managed to get an scholarship for track. Her academics were okay, she was never a bad student, but she knew her strength was her energy. All three of them regularly met up to study, but it always eventually turned into a dance party of some sort, or just a barrage of youthful screaming laughter. That day, Yebin ran out of chips, and walked to the nearest corner store, naturally, she froze at the sight of one gleefully smirking Kim Minkyung, who winked at her from the alcohol section while putting that same finger to her lips.

“Well well well, my favorite neighbor.” 

The younger girl looked around in disbelief only to ridiculously point at herself with a questioning look, not noticing that they were the only customers present.

“Kim Minkyung-sunbaenim! Hi!” Why did she bow then? She’ll never know or live it down.

“Just call me Minky, please.”

“Ah, Minky… I’m just getting chips.”

“Those look good. I’m buying… refreshments. Do you need a ride back?”

“Do you have a car?”

Yebin swore she watched Minkyung’s mischievous smile grow bigger in slo-mo.

“I have a bike.”

As they walked out the store, Minkyung gestured to a simple bike with space in the back for an extra basket. She motioned for her to hold on tight, and realizing she only had one helmet, she placed it on Yebin’s head as the latter’s cheeks furiously flushed, and if that wasn’t enough, grabbed her arms to wrap them around her waist. “For safety,” she said.

As they sped five blocks down the incline leading back to their street, Yebin couldn’t distinguish the the jump in her stomach being from the ride down or the proximity to the one person that truly brought her out of her comfort zone. She couldn’t tell if time slowed down or sped up around her. Wanting to know her more was something she was sure of, but she never knew how to go about it. It didn't help that she was so cool and elusive and for some reason paid her more attention than she was used to.

When they finally reached the space between their two houses, as Minkyung slowed down to stop the bike with her foot, Yebin felt her pulse speed up wildly as she realized she was holding on more tightly than she thought. She let go as Minkyung got off and leaned in to unbuckle the helmet strap from under Yebin's chin.

"...Thank you." Yebin stammered to her dismay.

"Don't be a stranger," she replied as she trailed off and walked the bike into the back of the Kim estate, turning her head only once to see Eunwoo and Kyulkyung staring out Yebin's window, mouths open, as Yebin herself notices after. She could never live that down either, at least while those two were around.

The third time was at a party for the incoming freshmen at the local university. It wasn't an official event overseen by the school, so people were allowed to have fun. Yebin, Eunwoo, and Kyulkyung finally let loose, high school was over and they were done with it for good. 

Kyulkyung applied for the dance program and Eunwoo was an applied music major - Yebin felt particularly uncool for being the only English major amongst friends, but figured she could live vicariously through them instead. She had to keep her scholarship by constantly practicing her running too late at night always slowing down when she reached her street to look at that pesky window to see if Minkyung was in or out. Minkyung just finished her first year of college, on the other side of campus, taking up business. Yebin crossed her fingers at the thought, it's finally time to not chicken out and actually talk to Minkyung. The coming school year could provide ample opportunity for that. Her train of thought was broken by the crunch of a distorted guitar. She looked to the makeshift stage to see one Kim Minkyung flanked by a girl in a hoodie with a white bob on keys, a sullen teenager on bass, and an uncontrollably smiley girl on drums - it was a strange sight, the latter two looking like they shouldn't even be within 10 feet of the other girls, who seemed tipsy already, shouting "SOUNDCHECK" into the mic in unison, as the party truly started and people nodded to the beat.

Eunwoo screamed back with a loud "fuckyasssss" and Kyulkyung pumped her fist to the beat before punching Yebin in the shoulder. "It's Minkyung!"

Is this why she stayed out so late?

"This is a cover," Minkyung breathes into the mic, and Yebin could've sworn Minkyung looked directly into her eye before saying "Hope you like it," before they launched into a completely reworked dance punk version of Monster. 

"I need you, baby, I'm not a monster," 

One thing she was sure of is that Minkyung knew how she felt, because before launching into the breakdown, she winked.

As the set winded down and they packed up, Yebin took three tequila shots handed to her by randos and walked over to the tall, complex figure that clouded her judgment on a regular basis.

"Minky!"

She turns around and smirks.

"Hey, you. Finally."

"Finally what?"

"Finally, you talk to me."

"I'm sorry."

"What are you sorry for? You're doing it now."

Yebin's ears felt hot. "Right..."

"So, what's up?"

"That was a good set, and uh, I'll be seeing you around! Like. In... school."

"I know."

"Wha-"

"I saw when you attended the orientation. And I see you here. So."

"Ah, yes. Sorry, I'm um, already drunk."

"Perfect,"

Yebin turns around to look for her friends, half-wishing to escape the conversation just to not mess things up, and spots Eunwoo and Kyulkyung drunkenly making out by a tree and quickly abandons the thought. She sees Minkyung already closed the distance and she could feel and hear her breath. She could also smell the alcohol, the cherries, the sweat and smoke on her shirt. She wished she could lean in, but as always, she froze. Minkyung stares straight into her eyes, as if waiting for it. When she realizes Yebin is scared shitless, the taller girl traces her finger by the side of the smaller girl's jawline and stops under her chin to pull her face closer, bumping noses. 

"What's stopping you?" She whispers. 

"I don't know. I just want to know you better."

"Try.”

Yebin really wasn't sober enough to remember what happened next, but her friends told her she passed out right there and then. Apparently Minkyung carried her home and into bed after driving her bandmates home.

After a thorough hour of being reprimanded for staying out late and getting wasted, Yebin pondered both the consequences of what she did and didn't do that night. 

She found herself wanting to call but realizes she never asked for her number. What was she supposed to do when the world around her melted in the presence of someone else? Was it supposed to feel natural? The way their chemistry felt almost supernatural and the magnetism of her presence made Yebin realize that the danger both attracted and repelled her - but more than anything she wanted to see beyond the danger. She wanted to know Minkyung, actually know her - was there more to the stares, the winks, was she like this around all the young new playthings?

Finally, the last time Yebin saw Kim Minkyung was exactly 24 hours ago, 7 in the morning a day prior - she knew what Kim Minkyung did on Sunday mornings - she biked around the neighborhood. Yebin quickly donned a fresh shirt and waited by her neighbor's back door.

"We've been neighbors for this long, huh?” A voice coolly breaks the silence as the leaves rustle and crumble under gray tires. "You knew I would be here.”

"No, I just... Yes."

"You just what?" 

"I just wanted to say thank you for bringing me home."

In her head and only with her eyes, Yebin traced the corners of the older girl's mouth. Instead, she clenched her fists.

"You're welcome." The smirk was almost familiar by then.

"That's not all I wanted to say."

"What else is there to be said?" The taller girl sighed before smiling once more. "I keep trying to get your attention, but I find myself having to beg for it. Just let me down easy."

"I don't know how to do this."

"Do what?"

At the thought of having to explain what it meant, the blood then rushed to Yebin's ears, then her cheeks.

"You. Me. This. Whatever's going on whenever you just..."

"Just?"

"That! When you tease, and you flirt, and you know I get all flustered and you enjoy it!"

She finally let it off her chest. 

"Of course I enjoy it. It's cute. But you're the one who threw up and passed out when I put myself out there so I thought you were sending a message about my advances being unwanted."

"I.. threw up?” All the blood rushes to her head as she remembers a smidgen of what actually happened, that specific, very embarrassing one, however. "Wait, no. I'm sorry. Holy shit. I'm so sorry."

Minkyung nods and opens the back door to wheel the bike out before Yebin stretches both arms and places herself in front of it, a literal roadblock. A tiny one.

"What do you think you're doing?

"They're wanted."

"What?"

"The advances. They're wanted. But."

"But?"

"I want to know you better too."

The taller girl raises an eyebrow and loosens her grip on the handlebars. "Then show me," she says as she stomps on her the kickstand and leans on the tall, gray, imposing wall by the estate. The younger one kicks off with a deep inhale before tiptoeing and weaving her fingers into her hair to pull her into a soft kiss. They kiss once more, deeper and more assured. Minkyung wraps her finger around the beltloop of her jeans to pull her in before resting her chin on Yebin's head and closing her eyes. Yebin breathes Minkyung’s hair in — cherries, without the cigarettes.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. We all get it, you're tall." 

"You tiptoed." She giggles.

"Shut! Your face! Go bike!" 

Teasingly, she forces the kickstand up and hops on. Kang Yebin never stood a chance. The lithe girl grabs the helmet from the basket and buckles the strap before going straight for her cheek and zipping off into the next block.

That was the last time she saw Kim Minkyung. She snaps out of her daydream, noticing that the police are ringing the estate's door bell, or that's what it looks like from afar, before a honk pierces the air and reminds her of her impending tardiness.

"Yebin," her mother shouts from the kitchen. "You'll be late for class! Eunwoo's outside!" She jolts to her senses and runs down the stairs with a lazily prepared backpack and starts shuffling into her shoes.

Eunwoo stares at Yebin fumbling for the door handle. "Are you still hungover from the other day? Get in!"

"Sorry."

Kyulkyung waves from the front seat. Eunwoo impatiently taps on the steering wheel while surveying the block, not to mention the cop cars.

"Did Minkyung get arrested?”

"Did you guys have fun sucking face the other day?"

Kyulkyung almost chokes, and Eunwoo nervously laughs and instinctively drives to campus while nervously humming to the radio for a good 20 minutes. Yebin couldn't shake the feeling that something was off.

She was right.

The moment she even steps foot on campus, the PA trails off: "...for any tips on the whereabouts of Kim Minkyung, please contact the Kim family at.."

Yebin's heart sinks even more. Suddenly, she can't feel her hands. Rushing to class, she couldn't help but tear up with worry and anxiety at the thought of Minkyung going missing, and the fact that she was probably the last person to see her couldn’t escape her at all. Immediately rushing home as soon as class was dismissed, she found her mom being questioned by hired investigators, perilously taking notes. Their attention shifts to Yebin.

"Hello. Have you seen this girl," a man holds up a wallet sized photo of Minkyung's face, "in the past 24 hours?"

"Uh. Yes. We spoke before she took her bike out to go for a ride. What happened? Can someone please tell me what happened?" She tries not to lose her cool but it doesn't work.

"We're following any lead given but it looks like she might have been kidnapped. Detectives found a helmet by the main road. No sign of the bike." Her eyes well up as her lips tremble. This can't be happening.

"Would you know if she was unhappy? Did you know her well?"

"Well, she didn't confide in me, but... Do you mind if I sit down for a bit? I'm sorry."

"Take your time." He jots down a number before handing her a piece of paper. "Call us if you remember anything." She nods.

Yebin plops her bag down, crashes into bed and stares at the ceiling before she hears a tap on her window. She jerks upright and turns towards it, expecting Minkyung but instead seeing a fluffy, red cat staring her straight in the eye. She in turn rubs both, but the cat is still there. It taps again.

She opens the window, and it plops and rolls to its side. It turns to look the girl in the eye once more and then shifts her gaze to the girl's phone. 

"Are you a lost cat? Wha..."

The cat jumps into her lap, and smells of... cherries and cigarettes. This wasn't a coincidence.

"Are you... You can't be."

The cat continues to stare.

Yebin looks out the window to see the private investigators pile into the car to leave the estate. The cat continues to stare until it slowly moves to swipe the phone from her pocket. It paws at the home button before the passcode lock screen of Eunwoo and Kyulkyung stuck in an ugly selfie appears. It puts its paw on Yebin's hand.

"What are you..."

The cat has a hard time entering text into a blank note, but ends up writing an ominous "it me."

"Minky?"

It meows.

"What happened to you?"

It tries to wake the smartphone from sleep but fails. Paws are not efficient for smartphones.

"I have a pocket dictionary you can use. Let me change the batteries."

As she hands it to the fluffy, amber eyed cat, it pokes around at the keyboard before giving up and lounging by the pillow.

"Hey, no! Tell me what happened."

If cats could sigh, she would've sworn it was a sigh, but it was a yawn instead.

"Obviously you weren't kidnapped. So... What's going on?"

It continues to stare before sizing up the dictionary again. It paws around more buttons, and comes across a text to speech function. "I don't know," a plain, monotone robot voice replies. "I don't know any more than you do."

What kind of bizarro bullshit was this? Of course she had to turn into a cat.

"Minkyung."

It stares back and yawns again, before… what’s this? Is it smirking?

"You're a cat. You're a fucking cat."

It jumps back onto the bed and folds into a blob by the pillow with the dictionary in its mouth.

"What do we do?"

The dictionary replies: "nap"

"Can we at least TRY to find out what happened? Can I call someone?"

The cat looks up as if to ponder, then pokes away at the keyboard: "call kyungwon"

Who? She could barely form a coherent train of thought before Minkyung inputs a number into the phone and it starts ringing.

“Hey! Wait, what do I say –––“

“If this is Heehyun, I told you I’d pay next week, stop calling me with unregistered numbers!”

“No, um, hi, this is Kang Yebin. Is this.. Kyungwon?”

The voice on the other line relaxes. “Yes. This is she.”

“Okay, are you friends with Kim Minkyung?”

“Wait, is this the kidnapper? I will find you and tie YOU up, motherfucker!”

“What? No! I just have some…um…information…pertaining to her whereabouts.”

“Sounds sketchy if you ask me.”

“I promise it’s not. We both want to… find her.”

The voice on the other ends softens and audibly sighs. “You’re lucky I’m desperate to find her. Meet me at Wendy’s. Don’t try any funny stuff, you hear?” With that, she drops the call.

——

This particular Wendy’s was 4 blocks away from campus, filled with college students, and definitely not a safe place to meet in case something went down, but Yebin had a feeling it had something to do with the chocolate frosty the hooded figure in front of her was furiously consuming without pause.

“Ah! Brain freeze.”

The walk going to the fast food joint was surprisingly pleasant, even with a cat in her backpack, Minkyung the cat didn’t seem that heavy. In fact, many people stopped to wave at the cat, and she proceeded to smile with her eyes in response. Even in cat form, Kim Minkyung knew how to work a crowd. Growing impatient, she slips out of the bag, grabs the frosty cup by the mouth, and speeds out of the restaurant.

“Hey!!!! My frosty!!!”

Heads turn as the girl in the grey hoodie makes a mad dash for the door. Yebin, caught in the chaos, tries to keep a low profile as she follows the two out. They make it to the corner park, a small playground considerably empty since the sun was about to set. The cat still or formerly known as Minkyung makes her way to the top of the jungle gym, and dangles the cup over Kyungwon’s head down under.

“Minkyung, give me my frosty!!!”

Till then, Yebin was just observing the bizarre chase until she realized Kyungwon knew exactly who the cat actually was.

“Wait! You know it’s her?”

“How could I not! That’s my best friend! Or at least, was my best friend before she got my frosty. Hey! Go back to school, you delinquent! People are worried sick about you for no reason!”

“So has she always been a cat?”

Kyungwon face palms, as if the answer was obvious, leaving Yebin even more confused. The cat climbs down, gives her friend a decidedly meltier frosty back, and proceeds to sit on a concrete chess table as if to motion them to it. They take chairs by the lounging cat, as Kyungwon slurps the remainder of the cup.

“Minkyung has been dabbling in sorcery. Well, we both have, because we were bored. This town has always been a college town, but more than that, it’s home to a certain kind of magic called skinchanging. To be fair, it’s an age old practice, and most kids who grew up here think it’s just a myth or some weird creepy story, but we found out that wasn’t true.” Yebin starts shifting in her seat. She knows by now that the things she’s saying are true considering her longtime crush is now a cat, or has always been a cat, or… whatever.

"Strange things have always been happening around here since this town was founded, we looked into it and matched strange obscure tabloid clippings with occult history books, and things match up! There have always been vigilante skinchangers around here, and the university has books about them not found in any other library. We looked it up after toking one day. We put up fliers to start a band, but it started to become an investigative circle for skinchanging and sorcery in general. Hey, you mind if I vape here or is that weird?” Kyungwon pulls a vape out of her pocket, and rips a cloud. 

“Um, okay, so has Minkyung always been a skinchanger?”

“She’s been trying. She’s been having dreams. So far, I think she only did it once.”

“Hmm?”

“She’s always had cat dreams, where she’s a cat. But she never turned for more than an hour. And unless she’s playing a very deliberate prank, I’m guessing she can’t change back.”

The cat slinks back into a yawn and rolls to her side.

“Her mom was descended from a line of skinchangers, and apparently was a talented one, before her dad married her mom and forbade her from doing it again, in the interest of their safety, supposedly. Wormholes around town started getting worse and crimes related to magic festered. She kept it hidden, until Minkyung found her mother’s sorcery diaries around the house. Minkyung’s dad is old money, and he started, um…” She shoots a look at the cat, who nods. “He started gambling the money away, and started piling up debts, some of those debts came from prominent old skinchanging families around town. Minkyung can turn into a cat now that she’s of age, but she’s cursed into staying one, for some reason. Some skinchangers hex each other. But there hasn’t been blatant in fighting till now!”

Yebin looks into Minkyung’s eyes. Minkyung in cat form, huh. True form?

“Minky.”

The cat looks up and stares almost pleadingly, then plops into Yebin’s lap. Kyungwon, confused, stares at them, back and forth.

“Do you guys…?”

“I’m her neighbor.”

“Ah! You’re that neighbor! Makes sense.”

That neighbor? Does this mean Minkyung talked about her before? Then she wasn’t imagining it. Her heart felt like leaping out of her chest, until the crazy reality now unfolding sobered her up again, the girl she’s head over heels for is indeed a cat. How convenient that it had to happen after she finally made the jump from pining neighbor to…somewhat something.

“Wait, I have a question.”

“Yes?”

“Are you a skinchanger?”

“I thought you’d never ask! By day, I am university student Kang Kyungwon, biology major and keyboard wizard! But by…night and other days, I am Kongie, dog detective!” She claps, and shrinks into a white furry puppy wearing a hoodie. The cat rolls her eyes.

This must be a dream. Just some sick dream, Kang Yebin thinks to herself. She’s been living here for 3 years and yet…the random wormholes. The trees that sometimes wiggle. Maybe there was more to this town after all, and she finally understood what Kim Minkyung meant. She didn’t realize it would be this level of danger though, and as someone who was definitely NOT a skinchanger, she knew this was a dangerous situation and that she was now privy to the actions of young teenage vigilante skinchangers. 

“So… How do we find whoever did this to Minkyung?”

Kang Kyungwon sticks her snout into her bag, pulls out her own dictionary, and starts keying in a response with her nose.

“We investigate.” the dictionary responds in an automated, butler like tone.

“Who would possibly want to do this though?” She starts whispering and looking around, realizing if someone else saw her she’d probably look like an idiot talking to a cat and a dog.

——

“Mom, what do you know about the Ki’s?”

“Well, the Ki’s? Hmm. The Ki’s live in a richer, nicer part of town, I think. They even donated the library to the school! They also own that strip mall by the highway. I think one of the Ki girls goes to your school.”

Yebin starts searching her memory, and realizes that a girl in her morning class, Ki Heehyun, is definitely a member of that family. She had an self-assured aura, and was smart, answering most of the professor’s questions about the preliminary readings.

“What is it, honey? What’s wrong? I bet you haven’t been sleeping since Minkyung went missing,” Yebin’s backpack wiggles, and probably on purpose.

“Dear god, I hope they do find her. Maybe she just ran away. Anyway, I hope she returns safely, and soon.”

“…Good night, mom.” 

Yebin rushes into her room, plops her bag onto her bed, and fishes out her homework, while Minkyung sits on most of the books.

“Why do I get the feeling you’re enjoying this?” She starts actually trying to study, but her mind drifts. She finds Minkyung going through her phone’s search history.

“Hey you!!! Off limits.” She snatches the phone before she reaches anything incriminating. “I would throw you out the window if you weren’t so cute.” She slumps and rolls onto the bed and over the books and thick sets of stapled papers. “What do I do… It’s the first day, and I’m already so tired..” She grabs a blanket and throws it over her body.Minkyung, the cat, proceeds to lie down beside her, and rolls over to face her. They lull into a comfortable sleep, as Minkyung nestles into Yebin’s arms.

Earlier the next morning, Yebin hazily wakes up, or it feels like she does, until she finds that there’s a naked Kim Minkyung, not a cat but an actual person, beside her and right under her blanket, sleeping soundly. She thinks this must be a dream, not realizing she missed Minkyung this much, even to the point of only realizing she was naked much later, as she feels Minkyung’s body mold and move closer to her own. The sun starts to rise as the rays filter out through the window. If this were a dream, she might as well enjoy it. She moves her face closer, slowly, staring at her lips with an intensity akin to tunnel vision.

Suddenly, the alarm screams throughout the room and the door slams open.

“Kang Yebin, wake and don’t be late this t––– You! You didn’t tell me you—“

Yebin’s heart almost gives up there and then, as she jerks forward and sees her mom’s confused face, as she looks back to see a cat, sleeping soundly, unbothered by the noise.

“You should’ve asked me before getting a cat! How did you even sneak it in? Ah, we’ll talk later. But for now, get ready!”

Somehow, the small girl cherishes the small moments of relief amidst giant waves of confusion. She knows she won’t be running out of it anytime soon.

**Author's Note:**

> More soon!


End file.
